(Radio Iowa) – A traveling training unit has been at Sioux City’s 185th Air National Guard Refueling Wing for the past three days, so members of the fire department at the base can practice responding to various scenarios. Master Sergeant Mitch Decker is the Assistant Chief of Fire Operations for the base.  “A little bit more controlled setting, but we do this for safety anyway,” he says. “We want people to be safe while they’re doing it. We don’t want anybody to get hurt. That’s not our goal, but it allows us at our own home station to train when we can’t get somewhere else.” Decker says aircraft fires usually involve large amounts of fuel, so the training helps firefighters review that unique challenge.

“If we had a crashed aircraft or a fire on that ramp, these are the tactics we would use to fight that fire,” he says. The Air Force firefighters were also training while wearing chemical warfare gear along with their regular gear underneath. “It’s very cumbersome. It’s hard to move around in. A lot of your agility is taken away. Dexterity with your hands is definitely affected because you’re wearing bulky gloves and you’ve got gloves underneath them,” he says. “It definitely presents a new challenge to it.”

The firefighters also practiced how and when to enter aircraft that are on fire.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department reports the arrest on Saturday, of 33-year-old Tyler Palensky, from Glenwood. He was charged with OWI/1st offense, posted bond, and was released.

The Glenwood P-D reports also, a Glenwood woman reported a theft on May 3rd. Another Glenwood woman reported, on May 5th,  an attempted burglary. Additional details were not provided in the P-D report.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A collision between an SUV and a motorcycle just before Noon on Friday, May 3rd, resulted in one person being transported to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital. According to Red Oak Police, a 2014 Hyundai Tucson (SUV) driven by 67-year-old Annette Ruth Archer, of Red Oak, was backing onto N. 4th Street from the alley on the east side of the road. Her view was partially obstructed due to vehicles parked along the roadway. As she was backing-up, Archer failed to see a northbound 2017 Harley Davidson motorcycle, operated by 55-year-old Ronald Water Lorenz, of Red Oak.

Lorenz saw the SUV, but was unable to avoid the collision. The motorcycle struck the passenger side of the SUV. Lorenz complained of pain and possible injury. He was transported to the hospital by private vehicle, to be checked out.

Annette Archer was cited for Failure to Yield upon entering a through highway. Her vehicle sustained an estimated $2,000 damage, while the Harley sustained an estimated $15,000 damage.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports two arrests. On May 2nd, Deputies in Adair County arrested 24-year-old Drew Darin Steckelberg, of Adair. He was taken into custody in Adair, on Adair County warrants for FTA (Failure to Appear in court) on charges that include: Theft in the 5th Degree; Trespass/1st offense, and Theft in the 2nd Degree. Steckelberg was being held in the Adair County Jail on a $5,600 cash-only bond.

And, on April 29th, Stuart Police conducted a traffic stop on I-80 eastbound at mile marker 97. The driver of the vehicle, 42-year-old Daniel Grant Lund, of Des Moines, was arrested for Driving While License Denied or Revoked. Lund was being held in the Adair County Jail on a $1,000 cash or surety bond.

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – The Board of Supervisors in Guthrie County will hold their regular weekly meeting at 9-a.m. on Tuesday, May 7th in their Guthrie County Courthouse Board Room. On their agenda is discussion and possible action, with regard to Juvenile Court Officer space, and the adoption of a resolution adopting a Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP).

The Board will receive Department Head updates and possibly take action on related matters. Updates are expected from Jotham Arber with Health Services, and Jamie Lindsay, with Human Resources.

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(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Tuesday (May 7, 2024), will discuss and take possible action on, an economic development grant for the Anita Locker. They are also expected to receive a request for ARPA funds from Griswold City Administrator Sheryl Owen, with regard to a Splash Pad ($10,000 request), and a lift station at the Land of Oz Housing Development ($227,400 request). They will discuss guidelines for using County funds for economic development.

The Board will receive a presentation from Cass County Wellness Coordinator Grace McAfee, and act on a request to proclaim May as “Mental Health Awareness Month.” Regular reports are expected from: Conservation Director Micah Lee (Quarterly report); Mike Kennon, on Zoning; and Trent Wolken – Cass County Engineer.

In other business, the Cass County Supervisors will act on appointing to the Eminent Domain Commission: Justin Miller; and David Riedemann. And to accept the resignations of: Max Potter, Cass Township Clerk (effective May 7th), and Duane Ortgies, as Victoria Township Trustee (as effective May 7th).

The Supervisor’s meeting begins at 9:00-a.m. in their Cass County Courthouse Board Room.

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(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa Supreme Court has ruled that a lawsuit over the ownership of donated artifacts inside the official residence of the governor should be allowed to proceed. According to the Iowa Capital Dispatch, the ruling centers on a dispute between the private, nonprofit Terrace Hill Society Foundation and the state’s Terrace Hill Commission, both of which are dedicated to restoring, preserving and furnishing Terrace Hill, the official residence of Iowa’s governor. The building, located at 2300 Grand Ave. in Des Moines, is a National Historic Landmark built in 1869. For years, the foundation worked closely with the commission, a state entity that manages the governor’s residence, by placing items from its collection of artifacts on display at Terrace Hill.

In recent years a dispute arose over ownership and control of the collection, which, the foundation claimed, resulted “in the commission, in effect, seizing control of the collection.” In 2022, the Terrace Hill Society Foundation sued the commission, alleging that for nearly 50 years, the foundation and its predecessors had received hundreds of items of donated property, including historical artifacts and monetary donations, for the restoration and improvement of Terrace Hill.

The foundation argued that it had placed many of the donated items into the “custody and control of the commission,” while relying on an agreement the two had to work “harmoniously” and “cooperatively” in a joint effort to improve the mansion. According to the foundation, the agreement provided that donations from the foundation to the commission were made with the understanding that the foundation would retain ownership of the items. The commission, represented by the attorney general’s office, attempted have the district court dismiss the lawsuit, arguing it was barred by the doctrine of sovereign immunity. The district court denied that motion, but the state appealed, sending the matter to the Iowa Supreme Court.

Terrace Hill

The court on Friday ruled in favor of the foundation, affirming the district court judge’s decision that the foundation “has property rights under state law and the Iowa Constitution, and it is entitled to have this court rule on the merits of its ownership claims.” The ruling means litigation over the issue of ownership can resume at the district court level.

The Terrace Hill Commission is a nine-person board, created by statute and appointed by the governor, that provides for the preservation, maintenance, renovation, landscaping and administration of Terrace Hill.